Consumers aren’t as Inspired as Marketers About GDPR Principles and Data Privacy Laws

GDPR One Year On: Latest Survey Shows Consumer Awareness around Data Use is Very Low about GDPR Principles 

Marketing teams may have managed to surf the turf with EU’s GDPR Principles in the first year. As we inch toward the first GDPR anniversary, market analysts and Data Privacy trend watchers are constantly churning data on GDPR impact. They provide insights on how GDPR transformed the data industry globally -for businesses and for consumers. In an interesting data research on GDPR Principles, Ogury found that less than 10% (only 8%) of consumers globally feel they have a better understanding of how companies use their data since GDPR’s introduction.

Ogury also found these interesting trend on what consumers truly understand about GDPR compliance.

• 52% of consumers globally still don’t understand how their data is used after reading consent forms and privacy policies.
• When given a clear and fair choice about which data to share and to what purpose, 7 out of 10 consumers globally choose to share their data rather than paying to access content.

In addition, roughly half of consumers (52% globally) answered that they still do not understand how their data is used. This, despite acknowledging they have read Data Privacy Policy at various websites. This was even higher in countries where GDPR has been implemented for one year, where 58% of respondents from European countries do not understand how companies use their data.

Ogury conducted a survey of 287,571 consumers, examining attitudes towards mobile marketing, advertising and data use.

Coinciding with the first anniversary of GDPR, the survey is the largest of its kind to date. Its findings reveal that consumers are still mostly in the dark when it comes to how their data is collected, stored and used.

Data Ecosystem Privacy Has Reached a New Level of Maturity

In a recent blog, LoopMe’s Stephen Upstone wrote, “We need to be honest with ourselves: the race to become GDPR compliant before the deadline was no easy task. AdTech providers were planning several years ahead of time – and even last minute we had clients coming to us with lots of questions.”

Co-Founder and CEO of Ogury, Thomas Pasquet, commented, “GDPR has not been taken seriously enough by organizations. These might be disheartening numbers for lawmakers and regulators, who will have no doubt hoped for a far greater level of understanding from the very consumers that GDPR is designed to protect. But, marketers should similarly take heed of this admission by users that the message is not getting through in sufficient numbers.”

How does GDPR impact US Consumers?

According to another report by nCipher,  Personal Data Privacy Is Hot-Button Issue in America, Where Distrust Runs High!

Yes, GDPR Principles in the US data market is a very tough challenge for Marketing teams. The nCipher survey data indicates that protecting personal information has become of paramount importance for many Americans. More than half (52%) of Americans said data privacy is important to them. Forty-one percent said protecting their personal information is their top concern.

“Thirty-two percent said safeguarding their personal data is as important to them as their own physical protection. Six percent said only protecting their family is more important than protecting their personal data.” – nCipher Survey

Why?

• Only 4% of the respondents trust organizations to do what they say they’ll do when it comes to not sharing their personal data
• 28% said nothing makes them trust that their personal data will not be shared
• 61% of Americans are not OK with some organizations sharing their private data

GDPR Awareness Shockingly Low; But, Are Organizations Still Failing Consumers?

Consumers are yet to fully understand how GDPR Fines and GDPR Principles protect their interest from data-preying companies.

The study’s findings indicate that businesses have not properly instituted a requirement for explicit and informed user consent for data collection and usage. 78% of users globally don’t read consent notices in their entirety.

When asked whether they felt their understanding of how companies used their data had improved since GDPR came into effect, the majority of respondents answered “No”. What’s more, consumer awareness of GDPR itself is still low. In the UK, 59% of respondents said their understanding was no better than before the law came into effect, while a further 29% said that they didn’t even know what GDPR was. Amongst the European countries surveyed, an average of 39% of respondents were unaware of GDPR.

Thomas added, “Businesses need to deeply understand what GDPR is and in turn educate consumers around the importance of data sharing; this level of consumer education will become increasingly important across the globe. We are already seeing this level of education begin to happen in the US as we prepare for the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), which will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.”

The Importance of Explicit User Consent 

Elie Kanaan, Ogury’s CMO, said, “The industry desperately needs to earn back consumers’ trust, by granting them a clear and fair choice and gaining their explicit consent. That means consent notices must be in plain words, published in plain sight.” He continued, “There is an opportunity to simultaneously alleviate consumer privacy concerns and increase mobile engagement – by committing to explicit, informed, and unambiguous user choice; from opting-in to customized marketing, to exercising their right to be forgotten. Unfortunately, over the past year, companies have failed to take GDPR seriously, which means there is a chance that the industry will be led to more privacy scandals and concerns in the near future.”

GDPR News and Insights: OneTrust Launches Policy and Notice Management Solution to Centrally Manage and Update GDPR and CCPA Privacy Policies & Disclosures

Consumers Don’t Care About Legislations; They Care About Clarity and Fairness of Choice

The survey also revealed that, when given an explicit choice, 71% of respondents globally would be prepared to share data from their mobile apps and website usage as well as contact details as an alternative to paying for access to apps and online content.

With regards to user choice, Kanaan, added, “The fact that 71% of mobile users globally would share their data if they know exactly what data is being collected and how it will be used, tells us clearly that consumers are willing to contribute to preserve a free internet as long as the exchange is fair and respected. It also confirms the market assumptions that drove the design of Ogury Consent Manager with Fair Choice. This product introduces three clear and fair options: accept anonymous data to be collected and used to receive customized marketing; Opt-out from sharing data and therefore receive irrelevant ads; Or pay a fair price in exchange for a marketing-free and data collection-free environment.”

This survey points to the fact that it is time for a transformation globally around how advertising and marketing is done today. If businesses do not begin to take GDPR seriously, they risk major consequences through various sanctions that will be detrimental for companies not operating under the law as it stands.

How to Win with GDPR and Consumer Sentiments?

Businesses should enable Marketing and Sales teams to fully understand GDPR Compliance at a granular level. Employees should implement GDPR principles in their interaction with various online and mobile touchpoints. A move towards consented data sharing and advertising creates a safer environment for consumers and brands, restoring trust and integrity to the industry, and helping to create a more mature and respectful internet.

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